


Not A Problem

by starlightdust



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, and also how in love he is, and hoseok realizing how dumb he is, honestly all you need to know is that its fake dating, kiho monthly, still trying to figure out what this is, this is just one big cliche tbh, will probably add more tags later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-07-21 02:35:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16150739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlightdust/pseuds/starlightdust
Summary: Why in the world did he think fake-dating Kihyun was a good idea?orHoseok desperately needs a date for his brother's wedding and he makes his worst decision ever.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> /awkwardly slides into kiho monthly on the last day/ 
> 
> i had this idea floating around for a while but never really got to it until i saw that this month's theme was proposal/wedding/marriage. i mean... this is vaguely wedding-themed, right? either way, i'm rolling with it lol
> 
> hope you enjoy! kudos and comments are appreciated.

“To quote Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 3, line 87, no.” 

“Alright, fine, you English nerd.” 

Kihyun huffs, dropping his pencil on the table with a loud clatter. “For someone who just begged me to date him, you’re not making a strong case for yourself, smartass.” 

“I asked you to _pretend_ to date me,” Hoseok supplies unhelpfully. 

He shrinks into the beanbag he’s sitting on when Kihyun pushes his glasses up his nose and glares at Hoseok over the top of the frames. “When I agreed to house you after you were sexiled, it wasn’t an open invitation for you to come onto me.” 

“You make it seem like I’m forcing you when I’m just asking you.” 

“Well, ask somebody else and let me finish my paperwork in peace!” Kihyun groans and bangs his head on the table. “It’s not my fault you forgot that your brother’s wedding was next week and you stupidly decided to RSVP that you had a plus-one.”

Hoseok should be offended that Kihyun’s insulting him for his past impulsive decisions except his friend has a point. 

Here’s the thing. This whole fiasco started when Hoseok received Hojung’s wedding invitation at a low point in his life. In other words, he was sleep-deprived from furiously producing and perfecting an album in time for some idol group’s comeback and wasn’t completely aware of his every action. He had RSVPed that he had a plus-one, forgetting in a moment of weakness that he and his ex-girlfriend were several weeks out of their short-lived relationship. Hoseok could’ve called his brother and told him about the mix-up, but he figured that three months was enough time for him to find a date for the wedding, and, well, if all else failed, he could drag Minhyuk with him. 

Clearly, Hoseok had overestimated his ability to charm others into dating him, and he severely underestimated Minhyuk’s own abilities. Because now, about a week away from the wedding, he’s painfully single while Minhyuk somehow isn’t, and now Hoseok has nobody to go to the wedding with. 

Technically speaking, Hoseok could still tell his brother to expect one less guest. Except he also has this thing called his pride, and he refuses to show up at Hojung’s wedding flaunting his singleness. Hoseok doesn’t mind being single, but Hojung always makes it a point to tease him about it, and Hoseok is _not_ about to let his brother win, even if it’s his wedding day. 

And well, there’s also the thing with his parents. He’s tired of them asking when he’ll bring someone home, which has been a problem ever since Hojung first introduced Jiyoon to the family. Hoseok knows his parents are well-meaning and only want the best for him, but their nonstop nagging about his love life is starting to get on his nerves. At this point, he even regrets coming out as bi to them. As supportive as they are about his sexuality, he hates having to remind them every time that having twice the options doesn’t mean he’s less likely to be single. It’s ridiculous and he wants it to stop. So if a fake date is all he needs to get his nosy family off his back, so be it.

This is where Kihyun comes in. Kihyun’s a close friend of Minhyuk’s and lives in the apartment across the hall from Hoseok and Minhyuk. He also works at the bakery near Hoseok’s studio, which means the producer hangs out with him a lot. Kihyun’s also the reason why Minhyuk and his now-boyfriend, Hyungwon, met and are now dating, which makes the baker partly responsible for both Hoseok’s weekly sexiles and his lack of a fake wedding date. Naturally, he should repay Hoseok for the inconveniences he’s caused him by letting the older stay at his apartment whenever Minhyuk kicks him out (like right now) and also by becoming his fake date. 

Kihyun is a good person because he does the first thing. Kihyun is also the worst because he refuses to do the second. 

“Please, Kihyunnie, I need you to help me!” Hoseok pleads. He goes so far as sliding out of the beanbag to kneel at his neighbor’s feet, desperately grabbing at his ankles.

“Don’t you have other friends who’ll actually do this dumb thing with you and think it’s a good idea?” Kihyun snaps back, attempting to crawl away from the older. 

Hoseok chooses not to answer. He does have other friends who would be great fake dates and would easily agree to help him. Except, none of them know him quite as well as Kihyun does. None of them understand the pain of third-wheeling Hyungwon and Minhyuk, especially when they were still pining after each other. None of them have cried over Gong Yoo’s sheer beauty with him after a night of binge-watching Goblin. None of them have come even remotely close to staying up with him until five in the morning, listening to him spill everything into the dark of the night. 

So yes, Hoseok does have other friends but none of them are Kihyun. Kihyun with the sharp tongue, witty humor, and dry comments. Kihyun with the warm hugs, soft smiles, and bright laughs. Kihyun, who Hoseok has secretly had a crush on ever since the baker first presented him with a bag of blueberry chocolate chip muffins (his weakness) and a bright smile (his soon-to-be weakness) two years ago. 

Kihyun, who Hoseok stupidly just asked to be his fake date to prove a point to his family. 

It’s a disaster in the making and Hoseok knows it, but he’s nothing if not stubborn. 

“Kihyunnie, please please _please_ help me,” he cries, scrambling after his friend who’s trying to make a grand escape to his bedroom. 

After several futile attempts to dodge Hoseok’s larger frame, Kihyun hangs his head and sighs, his entire body heaving in what Hoseok already knows is defeat. “You won’t let me finish my paperwork until I agree, right?”

“I’m sexiled and without my phone or laptop. I have nothing better to do with my life except annoy you into submission.”

Kihyun groans. “Fine, I’ll do it. But you owe me.” 

Hoseok can’t help it. He’s so relieved that he throws himself at his friend, enveloping him in a bear hug. “What do you want? 20 bucks? My Netflix password? My heart?” (Joke’s on Hoseok because Kihyun already has the last one.)

“What the hell,” Kihyun splutters, squirming out of the older’s embrace. “Just treat me to food and buy me those headphones I showed you a few days ago.”

“Of course! Whatever you want!” Hoseok chirps. “You’re the best, Kihyun-ah!”

Kihyun rolls his eyes but Hoseok knows he’s hiding a small, fond smile. “I know I’m the best. Now let me finish my work in peace.” 

-

When Hoseok returns to his apartment the next morning, Minhyuk had just finished setting the table with a rather large spread for breakfast. Knowing that his roommate never cooks because “I need instant gratification, Hoseokkie, and I did _not_ cook for an hour just to finish eating in ten minutes,” Hoseok cautiously shuffles closer, peering at Minhyuk to see if there’s anything wrong with his friend.

Aside from a series of hickies blooming all over his neck, his roommate looks just about normal. Which means, “You guys slept really well last night, didn’t you?”

To Minhyuk’s credit, he doesn’t flinch at the suggestive question. “Yeah, we were so tired after all the physical exercise that we knocked out once we got to the bed.”

It takes Hoseok a few seconds to process his friend’s response before he recoils from the table. “Please tell me this table’s clean.”

“Sure hope so.”

“You guys are gross,” Hoseok groans. He seats himself at the table anyways because he’s never been one to turn down free food. “What’s the special occasion? You never cook. Especially not for breakfast.” 

Minhyuk’s eyes finally light up and he clasps his hands together. “Wonnie got the job! You know he’s been stressed about it for the past few weeks and they weren’t getting back to him because they were reviewing other applicants and shit. But they finally called yesterday and told him he got the position. So I wanted to treat him like the king he is.”

“With sex and breakfast?” Hoseok snorts. 

“Duh,” Minhyuk says, as if it’s the most obvious thing ever. 

Hyungwon emerges from the bedroom then, his mouth open in a wide yawn as he scratches his messy bedhead. Once he notices the breakfast spread though, his eyes brighten, and he slides into the seat next to Minhyuk, pecking his boyfriend on the lips and murmuring, “Thanks for breakfast, babe” before reaching for the food. 

Hoseok scrunches his face up at the PDA. Minhyuk and Hyungwon may have been dating for just a little over two months and a half now, but he still can’t get used to them being sweet with each other. Maybe it’s because he has the year-old image of their mopey, pining expressions permanently etched into his memory and seeing otherwise is still giving him whiplash. 

“So,” Hyungwon says once he swallows his bite of food, “I heard from Kihyun that you figured out the whole wedding date thing.”

Hoseok squints at his friend. “How the hell did you hear about this while you were screwing Minhyuk’s brains out?” 

“He texted me about it earlier,” Hyungwon replies at the exact same moment Minhyuk protests, “Hey! _I_ was the one screwing Wonnie’s brains out last night, thank you very much.”

Hoseok resolutely stares straight at Hyungwon and tries to ignore his roommate’s wide smirk. “Yeah, I got myself a date to the wedding.” 

“Wait, you actually did?” Minhyuk abandons his suggestive expression and turns to the older, eyes wide. “Who did you manage to convince?”

“Kihyun.”

“As in you finally decided to do something about your gigantic crush on him and you officially asked him out and he accepted and is going to the wedding with you because he likes you that much?” 

“No. I just asked him to be my fake date, and he said yes.”

Silence. 

Minhyuk stares at Hoseok, as if he’s waiting for Hoseok to say that he’s joking. Hoseok stares back, trying to communicate that this isn’t a joke. Then, Minhyuk and Hyungwon glance at each other and immediately start snickering, and now Hoseok is very, very lost. 

“What is it?” he asks impatiently. 

“Oh my dear Hoseokkie,” Minhyuk coos, reaching over the table to pinch Hoseok’s cheeks. “You sweet, innocent, powerful muskox-” 

“Stop calling me that,” he grumbles, batting his roommate’s hands away.

Minhyuk ignores him, prodding a stubborn finger at Hoseok’s cheek. “I’ve seen too many K-dramas and read way too much fanfiction in my lifetime, and I’ve learned a valuable lesson. Well, I learned several, but that’s besides the point. Anyways, fake dating always leads to real dating, and you, my dear friend, are going to get the boy of your dreams.”

“What the hell? Kihyun doesn’t even like me like that!”

“Oh please,” Minhyuk rolls his eyes. “I know how he gets around boys he likes. He laughs at your super lame jokes and he lets you cling onto him without complaining and he’s, like, always smiling around you. I mean, I’ve known him since high school, but he still looks like he’s going to murder me at any moment.” 

“Maybe because he does.” 

“You ignorant swan,” Minhyuk grits out, his gaze turning sharp. “That’s not my fucking point. My point is that Yoo Kihyun looks at you like he wants you to have all the best things in the world. You’re special to him, whether he knows it or not.”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better about my hopelessness in the love department,” Hoseok nervously jokes. 

The tips of his ears are burning now, and he’s feeling a little lightheaded. There’s no way Kihyun looks at him any differently than he looks at Hyungwon or Minhyuk. No way. Hoseok can’t afford to hope. The last time he did, he found out the baker had just started going out with some dude he met at the supermarket. It was a rough week, filled with snotty tissues, half-composed sad ballads and no blueberry chocolate chip muffins. 

Hyungwon sighs, finally cutting into Hoseok’s thoughts with his soft voice. “You know, I hate to agree with Minhyuk because he relies on mass media’s portrayal of idealistic love stories for his concept of love and romance-”

_“Hey!”_

“But he’s got a point this time. I haven’t known Kihyun as long as you two have, but if there’s one thing I know, it’s that Kihyun doesn’t do anything he doesn’t like. The fact that he’s helping you even though he probably thinks this entire setup is flawed means he cares enough about you to want to make you happy. In terms of liking you, I’d say he’s at least halfway there.”

Hoseok stares dumbly at his now untouched breakfast. Hyungwon might not talk much, but every time he does, Hoseok’s always surprised by how insightful the guy is, fancy words and all. Not for the first time, the producer thinks about telling his friend to become a radio show host instead. With his smooth, lulling voice and thoughtful advice, Hyungwon would have the entire city tuning in to listen. At the very least, he has Hoseok hanging onto his every word. 

“You really think so?” Hoseok finally asks, looking up from his bowl at his friends’ faces. 

Even though Hyungwon rolls his eyes and Minhyuk scoffs, both of them look sincere when they nod. 

“You don’t give yourself enough credit,” Hyungwon says. 

“Yeah, Wonnie’s right. Kihyunnie’s practically in love with you already,” Minhyuk adds. He reaches across the table again, only this time, he pats Hoseok gently on the head. “Now fake date the hell out of him until he wants to real date you.”

-

Hoseok and Kihyun don’t discuss the whole fake dating thing the week leading up to the wedding. Sure, they hang out at the bakery several times and the younger even surprises Hoseok at his studio with a warm cup of coffee and his signature muffins, but they skirt around the topic as much as possible. 

Not that Hoseok ever intentionally avoids it. He just gets caught up with discussing the new music he’s working on or trying to make Kihyun laugh that he forgets that they’re supposed to be worried about acting like a couple in front of his brother’s wedding guests. 

Either way, the both of them do a pretty good job of acting like everything is normal between them. Until the day before the wedding, that is. 

It’s nine on a Friday night, and Hoseok and Minhyuk had just settled down to binge-watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine for the third time when Kihyun bursts into their apartment. 

“I need your opinion,” he announces, ignoring Hoseok’s surprised shriek and Minhyuk wielding the popcorn bowl like a very ineffective sword. 

“On what?” Hoseok squeaks, lowering his hands when he realizes it’s just Kihyun and not their creepy neighbor from downstairs. 

“Does this suit make me look fat?” 

Only then does Hoseok realize that yes, his neighbor is wearing a beautiful navy suit and yes, he looks effortlessly gorgeous even with messy hair, an unbuttoned suit jacket and a bowtie hanging around his neck. _How unfair._

“Are you serious right now?” Minhyuk gapes, interrupting Hoseok’s staring. 

Kihyun juts a hip out, crosses his arms and nods. “Yes, I am absolutely serious right now. Does this suit make me look fat or not?” 

Before Hoseok could even think, he blurts out, “No, it doesn’t. You look amazing. Wonderful. Beautiful. Perfect. Uh.. yeah, you look great.”

Minhyuk does a poor job of hiding his snort, but Kihyun grins so widely at the compliments that Hoseok can’t seem to care about what his roommate thinks. 

“That’s good,” Kihyun says as he smooths out the wrinkles in his clothes. “I’m trying to look like the finest piece of ass at the wedding, but I can’t do that if I look fat in this suit.” 

Minhyuk whistles. “Yoo Kihyun, are you trying to outdo the bride? I never thought you were the type.” 

“Well,” Kihyun spins on his heel then _winks_ at Hoseok over his shoulder, “I can’t embarrass my boyfriend now, can I?” 

With that, their neighbor waltzes out of the door without looking back. 

Hoseok swears he stops breathing for a good ten seconds, the gravity of his predicament finally hitting him full-force. Why in the world did he think fake-dating Kihyun was a good idea? He barely even survived this interaction and now he has to pretend that he’s fine with Kihyun acting as his boyfriend for an entire day? Even by Hoseok’s standards, this was a Bad Decision. 

Stiffly, Hoseok turns to his roommate, who looks as shell-shocked as he feels. “That… that just happened right? I didn’t somehow hallucinate that?” 

Minhyuk’s expression quickly morphs into a smug one. He places a hand on his friend’s shoulder and cackles, “Yoo Kihyun is so fucking smooth, oh my god. You’re going to _die_ tomorrow, Hoseokkie.” 

Hoseok brings his knees to his chest and squeezes himself into the tiniest ball that he can physically curl into, feeling so incredibly tiny in front of the storm that is Yoo Kihyun. 

Boyfriend, he had called him. Hoseok really isn’t going to survive tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kihyun meets his "in-laws" and Hoseok tries not to panic.

At exactly 1PM the next day, Hoseok finds himself fiddling with his suit’s cufflinks as he waits in front of Kihyun’s door. Up until last night, this whole fake-dating didn’t feel real at all. But today, Hoseok realizes that he’s actually going to his brother’s wedding with his crush, pretending to be dating him only because Hoseok has too much goddamn pride to admit he’s hopelessly single and pining. 

“I’m coming!” Kihyun’s muffled voice calls out from the other side of the door. It swings open a moment later and Kihyun steps out, a sheepish smile on his face. 

Nothing could have prepared Hoseok for how breathtaking his neighbor looks. Kihyun’s silver hair is styled and pushed back to reveal his forehead, and his usual round glasses have been replaced with contacts. A single silver earring dangles from his earlobe, as opposed to his usual studs. And when Kihyun’s eyes curve into adorable little crescents when he grins, Hoseok’s stomach drops to the floor because _Yoo Kihyun is wearing eyeliner, what the fuck_. If his neighbor had looked perfect yesterday night, he looks absolutely ethereal right now. Gone is the soft, adorable Kihyun that Hoseok always wants to cuddle. All he can think about is that the younger was right yesterday because-

“You really are going to be the finest piece of ass at the wedding,” Hoseok chokes out. 

Kihyun giggles (actually giggles! Hoseok is going to _die_ ) at the compliment. “You look pretty fine yourself.” He leans in and lowers his voice, whispering almost conspiratorially, “I know I told you that this was a dumb idea, but I’m kind of enjoying it. I mean, bringing a fake date to a wedding is still dumb and I have no idea how we’ll pull this off, but dressing up for this was pretty fun.”

Hoseok laughs, but his mind frantically kicks into overdrive to try to come up with a witty response. Usually, he’s pretty good at keeping up with Kihyun’s banter, but he can’t seem to function in the presence of a literal god right now. Hoseok opens and closes his mouth several times, his mind going blank before he presses his lips together and nods, not trusting himself to say anything even remotely coherent right now. 

Kihyun thankfully doesn’t say anything about Hoseok’s unintentional fish impersonation as he checks the time on his phone. “We need to be there by 2, right? We should get going or else we’ll be stuck in traffic forever.”

Hoseok jerks his head in a semblance of a nod, still refusing to say a single word because he knows he’s just going to end up embarrassing himself. Instead, he offers Kihyun his elbow and tilts his head in the direction of the elevators. Kihyun understands him anyways, and he places a hand in the crook of Hoseok’s elbow.

Only Kihyun tugs Hoseok’s arm loose and slips his hand into Hoseok’s very sweaty one and tugs him down the hallway. Making a strangled noise of confusion at the back of his throat, Hoseok makes eye contact with a grinning Kihyun. 

“What are we, rich socialites?” He laughs as he swings their hands. “We’re not going to a ball, Hoseok. At least act like we’re actually a couple our age.”

Hoseok’s 100% sure he will be delivered back to his apartment in a coffin tonight because there’s no way he’s going to survive this day, not when every little bit of Kihyun’s existence is going to kill him by the end of the night. 

-

Most of Hoseok’s daily life is filled with music. Everything from the audio tracks in his studio to the rumble of the coffee machine in his apartment weave into a melody that accompanies him throughout the day. But right now, here in the car with Kihyun, there is only suffocating silence. 

“So,” Kihyun starts. 

“So,” Hoseok echoes. He drums his fingers on the steering wheel. 

“I didn’t know you could drive. Or that you had a car.” 

“It’s Minhyuk’s, actually.” The corners of Hoseok’s mouth pull into a poor rendition of a smile. “Do you drive?”

“Nope. I just take the subway. Or the bus.”

Hoseok winces, and he doesn't have to look to know that Kihyun probably looks just as uncomfortable as he feels. The thing is, it's never been awkward with Kihyun. His neighbor has heard his tipsy 3AM thoughts, listened to his absent-minded ramblings, knows his mid-production insecurities, but here they are making _small talk_. Hoseok’s starting to regret asking Kihyun to be his fake date now, and they haven’t even reached the wedding venue yet. 

“Uh,” Kihyun clears his throat, and when Hoseok glances over at him, his neighbor fidgets in his seat. “Do you have an AUX?”

Hoseok fumbles for the cord, then hands it to Kihyun. 

There’s a bit of shuffling then another “Uh.” Hoseok turns his head and catches Kihyun’s finger hooking over his bowtie and tugging it loose. Hoseok swallows, turning away before Kihyun asks, “Anything specific you want to listen to?”

“Nope.” He hopes his voice doesn’t come out that choked. 

A few more seconds of suffocating silence, then the first notes of a peppy girl group song pour from the car’s speakers. When Kihyun shouts, “ARE YOU READY?” with the lead vocalist, the words ringing in the much too tiny space, Hoseok barks out an involuntary laugh, and all that unfamiliar awkwardness immediately dissolves.

It’s only after the fourth song finishes that Hoseok realizes. “Wait, aren’t these all songs I wrote?” he asks. 

Kihyun scratches the back of his neck and nods, showing him the screen when they stop at a red light. Hoseok chokes when he notices the playlist name: ‘(Won)Ho Anthems.’

“Minhyuk came up with the name,” Kihyun mutters, ears red. 

It’s one thing hearing the songs he’s written and produced playing everywhere he goes, but knowing Kihyun has a playlist filled with only his music sends Hoseok’s heart soaring. Heat licks at his cheeks, and he resolutely focuses on the road again, a forced chuckle leaving his lips. Could Kihyun be more endearing? 

Apparently, yes. For the next hour it takes them to get to the wedding venue, Kihyun puts on a full-out concert in his seat, complete with soulful singing, effortless high notes, clumsy rapping, and upper-body wiggling (“Stop laughing at me! They’re fire dance moves, Hoseok! Any K-pop group would kill to have me as their main dancer!”). Every now and then, when Hoseok’s not distracted by the road, he joins in, choking on laughter between lyrics and falling just a little bit more in love with his friend. 

The playlist mellows out by the time they arrive at the venue. Hoseok pulls into a parking space, switches off the gas and lets Kihyun finish the soulful ballad pouring from the speakers. The song, a B-side track on a solo artist’s debut album, is about unrequited love, and everything about this situation is so ironic. Here he is, sitting and watching Kihyun, eyes closed and beautifully outlined in the sun, sing about unreciprocated feelings when his own heart is going to burst out of his chest whenever his friend so much as looks at him.

The last note of the song peters out, and Kihyun opens his eyes. Hoseok looks down and away, fingers pulling at his suit again. 

“We’re here,” Kihyun says, surprised. 

Hoseok finally looks at Kihyun and nods. “Yeah, um, I was gonna tell you but-”

 _You looked so beautiful that I didn’t want to interrupt you_ leaves Hoseok’s mouth in the form of a high-pitched yelp when something slams into the side of his car and yells, “BOO!” Kihyun is equally as startled, eyes blown wide, a hand flying up to his chest. 

Hoseok turns around, and when he sees his brother’s face smushed against the window, he flips him off and clambers out of the car. “What the fuck, Hojung!” he yells, punching his brother in the arm. 

“Dude, don’t punch the groom,” Hojung groans, clutching the area where he was hit. 

“Well maybe the groom deserves it for acting like an asshole. Can’t believe you’re getting married when you’re, like, twelve.” 

Hojung doesn’t reply, his eyes focused on something else behind Hoseok. Hoseok frowns and pushes at his brother’s shoulder. “What?”

“Is that your date for the wedding?” 

Hoseok spins around to see Kihyun get out of the car. When Kihyun realizes the brothers are staring at him, he offers a small, nervous smile. 

“Hi,” he says, shuffling over and smoothing his hair back. “I’m Kihyun.” He stops next to Hoseok, glancing at his face before shifting his gaze down to Hoseok’s hands. That’s the only warning Hoseok gets before Kihyun interlaces their fingers and says, “I’m Hoseok’s boyfriend.”

Hojung blinks once, twice, and then he smirks, reaching out to dig a finger into Hoseok’s arm. “Ohhhhhh, Hoseokkie.”

“Literally shut up,” Hoseok hisses, glaring at his brother. 

“I’m telling Mom,” the groom snickers, and before Hoseok could stop him, he tears off across the courtyard.

“Oh my god,” Hoseok groans. 

Kihyun just laughs, the sound echoing in the parking lot as they follow Hojung. “He’s cute.”

“No, he’s the biggest pest to ever exist. And he’s getting married. _Before me._ ”

Kihyun elbows him. “Well, maybe if you hung out with other people besides me, Minhyuk and Hyungwon, you actually might find somebody.” 

Hoseok purses his lips. _But what if I want that somebody to be you?_

They stand there for a few seconds before Kihyun squeezes his hand - right, they’re still holding hands, _Hoseok, breathe_ \- and says, “Come on, I want to meet my mother-in-law.”

And then he grins, his cheeks bunching up and his eyes crinkling in the corners. A little part of Hoseok dies. _So much for breathing._

They find Hoseok’s mom at the entrance of the venue, in the middle of scolding Hojung. 

“-and you’re just going to ruin Jiyoon’s wedding if you keep running around, wrinkling your clothes like a child!”

“It’s my wedding too, Mom,” Hojung protests, though he doesn’t stop her from smoothing down his suit and patting down his hair.

“What’s wrong with our family’s men?” she says. “I have a husband who’s been napping in the car for the past hour, one son who’s set on ruining his own wedding,” she gives a particularly harsh tug on Hojung’s bowtie, “and another who hasn’t been home for four months and arrives with a surprise boyfriend.” 

His mom fixes her gaze on Hoseok, and he shrinks a little, smiling sheepishly as he waves, “Hey Mom.” 

She rolls her eyes but still gestures for a hug. Hoseok grins, letting go of Kihyun’s hand to throw himself into his mom’s arms. 

“I missed you,” he murmurs into her hair.

“Well, if you visited home more often, you wouldn’t have this problem now, would you?” She lets go of Hoseok and looks at Kihyun. “And you are?”

“Yoo Kihyun, ma’am,” Kihyun says, immediately dropping into a bow. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“He’s Hoseokkie’s boyfriend!” Hojung chirps. 

“I get that,” their mom snarks as she gives Kihyun a full-body scan. “How long have you been dating my son?” 

The smile on Hoseok’s face drops, and he looks to Kihyun in panic. How could they forget to work out an elaborate backstory? Now his family will know he’s lying and then he’ll have to suffer under Hojung’s teasing for the rest of his life and, _and-_

Kihyun reaches out and squeezes his hand, a small smile on his lips. “About three months. But we’ve known each other for about two years. I live in the apartment across from him, and I’m friends with his roommate, Minhyuk,” he says smoothly.

Hoseok’s mom hums. “And does he make you happy?”

“Mom,” Hoseok hisses, mortified. She was onto them. She had to know they were faking it. There was no other explanation for why she asked that question other than to catch them in the act. 

Kihyun’s fingers curl tighter around Hoseok’s hand. Blood roars in Hoseok’s ears, and he tells himself not to look, not to turn to his neighbor and see their entire charade fall apart because there’s no way Kihyun can convince his mom that Hoseok makes him happy when he probably doesn’t see him like that. But Hoseok betrays himself and still glances over at his fake date to see his reaction. 

Kihyun huffs a laugh, He ducks his head, his teeth digging into his bottom lip. Then, he turns to look at Hoseok. A jolt runs through Hoseok when he sees the determination in his date’s eyes. Kihyun squeezes his hand again and then a bright smile breaks over his lips. “Yeah.” He clears his throat and looks at Hoseok’s mom. “Yeah, Hoseok makes me really happy.” 

Hoseok’s ears burn, and he quickly looks away from Kihyun. He makes eye contact with Hojung, who cackles and starts cooing, “Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh,” like an elementary schooler who just found out his friend’s crush. Which is essentially what’s happening, if Hoseok really stops and thinks about it. He can’t let his brother win, though, and he raises his arm, threatening to smack his brother, but his mom beats him to it.

“Oh, be quiet, Hojung. You were like this with Jiyoon,” she chides. 

Then, she reaches out and pulls Kihyun into a hug. Kihyun and Hoseok both make a noise of surprise but Hoseok’s mom doesn’t seem to mind. She pulls back and smooths down Kihyun’s suit, a wide grin on her face. “Come eat dinner with us some time. And bring Hoseok with you. That boy wouldn’t come home otherwise.”

“Hey!” Hoseok protests.

Kihyun laughs. “Of course, Mrs. Lee.” 

Hoseok’s mom pats him on the cheek. “Well, I think I just saw Auntie Eunsook pull up, so we should go greet her. Enjoy the wedding, boys.”

She gathers up her skirts and dashes off to meet the newly-arrived guest. 

“Well, it was nice to meet you, Kihyun,” Hojung says. A smirk is still planted on his lips, and Hoseok knows this isn’t going to turn out well. “You know, when Hoseok RSVPed that he had a plus one, I thought he was just playing with me. I mean, no way has my loner brother managed to leave his damn studio long enough to get somebody to date him.”

Ah, there it is, classic Hojung. Kihyun barks out a laugh, though he unsuccessfully tries to smother it with his hand. Hoseok’s entire face burns, but he still fixes the meanest glare he can muster on his brother, who snorts and waves it away. 

“Well, gotta go greet Auntie Eunsook.” Hojung takes about five steps away before he spins back around to look at the couple, an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face. “Really though, I’m glad you guys are together. I can tell Hoseok’s really happy around you, and you seem pretty happy with him. And you guys make a very good-looking couple, which says a lot because, well, you know, Jiyoon and I exist.” 

With that, the groom bounds away. Hoseok’s not sure if he should be oddly touched or mortified at his brother’s words. So he settles for opening and closing his mouth around unformed words like an idiot and hopes Kihyun will understand the feeling. 

“Well,” Kihyun coughs. “Your family is… interesting.”

“I’m not a loner,” Hoseok blurts in response. Well, now he definitely wants to die of embarrassment. 

But then Kihyun bursts into a fit of giggles, his laughter only interrupted by gaspy hiccups of air. He laughs so hard that he leans into Hoseok’s side for support and okay, fine, maybe Hoseok can put off dying from embarrassment later. 

Maybe he’ll die from too much affection clogging his every pore instead. You know, whichever comes first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry for the long wait! i've been so busy with school and then the holidays that i didn't have time for this chapter until recently. thank you to everybody who waited patiently for this update! i kinda suck at replying to comments but please know reading them always make my day ^^
> 
> anyways, i will try to update as soon as possible! the next chapter will be about the actual wedding and i have a few fun things planned hehe. in the meantime, feel free to drop by my [tumblr](http://kebinwooo.tumblr.com/) or my [twitter](https://twitter.com/kebinwooo)!
> 
> as always, comments and kudos are appreciated!


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